Owl Pals
by DamnTheMan
Summary: Annabelle is a witch living in New York. When she goes to Diagon Alley instead of the underground subway, she meets Harry Potter. Ironic, the school starts a Owl Pal system with Hogwarts.
1. One

Annabelle looked out her window, gazing upon the city of New York. It was her sixteenth birthday. July 31st. An owl came flying towards her window at an incredible speed. She flung open her windows and moved away so the owl could come in. The owl dropped a letter in her hands and then flew back to parts unknown. Annabelle watched sadly as it flew off, then closed her window again. She said on her bed and opened the red, white, and blue envelope. It was her letter to Magic Wand School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A smile spread across her face when she saw that she didn't need many more new books, which meant she could save her money up for that new broom she had her eye on. Before she could run downstairs to tell her grandparents she was going again (which they didn't approve of), another owl was coming at the window. She opened it and let the owl in.  
  
"Scrounger! Finally you've returned. Why does it take Mary-Beth so long to answer me letters?" Annabelle said showing Scrounger back to his lofty cage. Annabelle ripped open the letter and flung herself back onto the bed.  
  
I Annabelle! /I  
  
I I'm sorry Scrounger was so late, but he just wanted to hang around our house for a few days and just wouldn't leave. So I wrote you a whole new letter. Okay, mom and dad said you could come with us to Diagon Alley, the wizard shops in England where Bethany-Sue just got a part time job helping the woman in the robes shop. I am so excited so DON'T go anywhere. Just think, we can meet kids from Hogwarts there! Hogwarts is so much better then Magic Wand. Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY and we are coming for you tomorrow at eight. We are planning on keeping you the rest of the summer too. I love you girl/I  
  
I Mary-Beth /I  
  
Annabelle folded the letter and tucked it under her bed. She ran down the stairs and into the kitchen where her grandmother was making that nights dinner and her grandfather sat mumbling about the stock market. Annabelle cleared her throat and glided towards a chair.  
  
"I was asked to go to Magic Wand again," she said sitting down. Her grandmother turned away from the stove.  
  
"Why do you even bother going? You know what happened to your parents!" her grandmother snapped in her heavy Irish accent. Annabelle brushed her chestnut brown hair out of her face.  
  
"Because I like it and just because they were stupid doesn't mean I'm going to be." Her grandfather began to mumble on and about how his son and daughter-in-law where foolish to even get caught up in magic.  
  
"When do we have to bring you to those stupid shops under the subway?" her grandmother said banging her pots around.  
  
"You don't, Mary-Beth and her family invited me to go to Diagon Alley with them and then spend the rest of the summer with them. Its all taken care of," Annabelle said feeling more grown up then ever, which made up for her grandparents forgetting her birthday. Her grandmother nodded then yelled at her to shoo. Annabelle ran back to her room and began to pack for Magic Wand and Mary-Beth's house. She expected their other best friend Gary would be coming with them. Annabelle picked up Gary's phone number and dialed it.  
  
"Hello?" he answered.  
  
"You're gonna die in seven days," Annabelle said in a scratchy voice. Gary let out a dry laugh.  
  
"Do you take off for holidays mister scary man on the other line?"  
  
"Depends, what holiday is it?"  
  
"Presidents day mister."  
  
"No, why would I take off for that?"  
  
"I don't know, everyone at work is!" Annabelle began to laugh.  
  
"So are you going to Mary-Beth's?" she said laying back on her bed, watching the mid-day sun begin to sink into the white clouds, leaving trails of pinks, yellows, oranges, and light blues behind.  
  
"M-hmm . . .just to torture myself of course. But I am looking forward to going to Diagon Alley. My grandma left us a small fortune at the main Gringotts there and I'm probably going to go on a shopping spree so I don't have to spend our money." Annabelle gasped. She forgot that the European wizard shops used a different system of money then in the U.S.A.  
  
"Crap, I don't have any of the money from Europe . . .how am I supposed to buy anything?"  
  
"Don't sweat it. I'll lend you some because my grandma left us so much and we don't ever go to England. But you better pay me back with our money, I'm not that generous," Gary said. Annabelle laughed.  
  
"Alright, thanks so much."  
  
"Don't mention it. Hey, I have to pack for Magic Wand and the rest of the summer with Mary-Beth. I am just dying to get to school darling," Gary said, Annabelle could hear the sarcasm in his voice.  
  
"Maybe this year you can tell Mary-Beth you like her, fifth years the charm!" Annabelle said, knowing Gary would just chicken out again.  
  
"Oh I will cross my fingers and pray to the lord for my strength!" Annabelle shook her head and hung up on him. She opened her closet and pulled out a huge trunk with two giant magic wands crossing into an X on the top. Annabelle opened the trunk and began piling in her Magic Wand robes with her Magic Wand history books. She closed the trunk and moved to under her bed, pulling out a copy of Hogwarts, A History. It was a book from England that her mother bought before she moved to America and met her father. She held the book in her hand and flipped through the pages, like she did on occasion.  
  
"This is one hell of a school," she said. Then again, she always said that. Magic Wand was an okay school for witches and wizards, but there was no place like Hogwarts. Her first year at Magic Wand, she liked to pretend she was really at Hogwarts. Going to England meant meeting people from Hogwarts, which meant finding out more about it. She threw the book into her trunk and planned to read it again on the rest of her summer break.  
  
"Dinner time, be lucky I'm even feeding ya" Annabelle's grandmother called from the stairs. Annabelle shut off her light and strolled down the stairs. Imagine meeting a student from Hogwarts! 


	2. Two

Annabelle woke with a start. It was six o' seven. She still had two hours until Mary-Beth would be coming for her. She yawned and stretched and made her way to the shower. When she got out, it was seven fifteen. With forty- five minutes left, she had nothing to do but check over everything she packed and made sure nothing was missing. Scrounger began to screech when Annabelle picked up his cage; he obviously didn't want to be getting up.  
  
"Shut up! You'll wake grandma up!" Annabelle hissed at Scrounger, who tried to make himself comfortable again. It was nearly time to go and Annabelle had to transport everything from upstairs to downstairs. She started off by leaving Scrounger by the door along with her small trunk for the Magic Wand Express Way, the subway that would bring them to their school.  
  
"Annabelle, let us in!" Gary was whispered into the mail slot on the door when she came down with a backpack. Annabelle put her finger to her lips and slowly opened the door.  
  
"Mary-Beth, please bring my trunk, Scrounger, and my backpack to your car. Gary, I need you to help me with my big trunk," she whispered heading back for her room. Gary tiptoed past Annabelle's grandparent's room and let out a big breath when they were safe in Annabelle's room.  
  
"Ready for England?" Gary asked strolling around Annabelle's room. Annabelle pushed some hair out of her face and leaned on her big trunk.  
  
"I guess. It's always been a secret of mine to go to Hogwarts. I think it would be absolutely awesome to go there. Much better then stupid Magic Wand." Gary grabbed the handle on the other side of the trunk and waited for Annabelle.  
  
"Ready and lift," he said lifting the trunk off the ground. Mary-Beth was at the door, holding it open for Gary and Annabelle.  
  
"Hurry up, we have to get to the portkey in like, twenty minutes . . .and it's at a destination of twenty five minutes away!" Mary-Beth said hissing at them. They began to walk a little faster and heaved the trunk into the back of Mary-Beth's mini van. Mr. Hassle smiled at Annabelle and put the pedal to the medal as they sped towards the destination of the portkey.  
  
"Are you excited?" Mrs. Hassle asked Annabelle. Normally Annabelle would have shrugged and nodded but she could resist.  
  
"You better believe it! I couldn't fall asleep last night I was so excited about it! I've always wanted to go to England, where my mom went. Hogwarts. Just imagine going there, the greatest school founded by the greatest wizards and witches of the time. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. And just picture meeting Albus Dumbledor! Oh that is the life I would love to live." Mrs. Hassle smiled warmly and held onto the dashboard tightly while Mr. Hassle made a sharp turn.  
  
"Careful hunny!"  
  
"Oh shut up dear, I know where I'm going."  
  
"No you don't, you-" Annabelle, Gary, and Mary-Beth blocked out Mr. And Mrs. Hassle and began to talk rapidly.  
  
"I can't believe, in like less then ten minutes we'll be in England. If only we could transfer to Hogwarts! I would die, and mother would have been so proud. I always read that Hogwarts, A History book she left me before she died. Its so interesting!" Annabelle beamed, looking out the car window. They sped past the ground zero sight. Red-hot tears filled her eyes and she had to look away. Mary-Beth opened her mouth to speak, but Ms. Hassle jerked the car hard to the left and they were at an alley. They all got out of the car and Mrs. Hassle pulled out her wand. When they were sure no one was looking, she shrunk the car down to size.  
  
"Alright, now looking for an apple core . . .one so disgusting not even a bum would pick it up," Mr. Hassle said lifting a trash can lid.  
  
"Found it!" Gary screamed and pointed to the corner near the back of the alley. They all rushed up to it.  
  
"Hurry, before it closes," Mrs. Hassle instructed. Annabelle smiled and reached out, touching the apple at the top. She closed her eyes and held her breath. She could feel them moving in space, traveling to England. Visions of her mother and Hogwarts came into her mind, the four greatest wizards and witches of all times and-  
  
"Oh I can't believe we are really here!" Annabelle could hear Mary-Beth cry out. She opened her eyes, expecting to find shops and wizards of witches of all ages, but all there was, was a brick wall. A plain old brick wall with a garbage can in front of it. For a moment, she thought they hadn't left the alley in New York at all. She turned her back and saw they were in the alley of a restaurant or bar of some sort. That wasn't there before. When she turned back around, the brick wall was gone and in its place was a long, long path filled with shops and witches and wizards of all ages.  
  
"DIAGON ALLEY!" She said, exploding with joy and pleasure. They were really there, they were really in England.  
  
"This is way better then the subway station underground underground," Gary said in awe.  
  
"First stop, Gringotts!" Mrs. Hassle said, looking for the big main bank.  
  
"Well, are we going in?" Annabelle asked stepping forward. It was like she stepped into a ray of the sun. There was warmth and people buzzing about. This is were she felt like she belong.  
  
"This is so wicked cool," Mary-Beth said. Annabelle looked down and saw that they didn't fit in with the Hogwarts crowd at all. Some people were wearing robes, as if taunting her and saying you'll never be one of us. She bit her lip.  
  
"I want to buy a Hogwarts robe," she said at once. Gary dodged a witch carrying two cages with owls and then shot her a look.  
  
"Hunny, we are from Magic Wand. Why would we want Hogwarts robes?" he asked. Annabelle shrugged. Well, there really wasn't too much of a point of getting a Hogwarts robe, but she wanted one. Mary-Beth stopped at the sweet shop and stared inside.  
  
"Oh man, I'm so hungry! Lets get that European wizard money!" she moaned. Mr. And Mrs. Hassle explain the situation and exchanged five hundred American wizard money for about a thousand dollars worth of European wizard money. Gary presented his key and they all waiting for him while he cleaned out half his grandmother's vault. When he came back, his smile was a mile wide.  
  
"It was like a ride at Disney World! Nothing like the subway cars we take at the underground underground!" Mr. And Mrs. Hassle went to find Mary- Beth's sister, and let the kids roam around.  
  
"Let's talk to some Hogwarts kids! Oh I want them to tell me all about it," she said looking at all the different kids wearing Hogwarts robes. Gary and Mary-Beth began to laugh.  
  
"Come on Annabelle, you're a little too excited. They are normal people, not zoo animals or something," Gary said pulling her to the side by the arm. Mary-Beth nodded in agreement. Annabelle shook her head and rolled her eyes and tried to break free from Gary.  
  
"Oh, let me go," she said trying to draw her arm back but he held it tight, with a smile on his face.  
  
"No way, not unless you promise to calm down," he said; now smirking. She jerked her arm back hard with a scowl but instead of hitting the air, she felt a nose, and a mouth on the back of her hand. Mary-Beth's eyes got wide and Gary gasped. Annabelle closed her eyes and pulled her hand down.  
  
"Bloody hell," a boy with a British accent said behind her. She heard him fall to the ground.  
  
"Oh damn," she muttered. 


	3. Three

"Oh my, Ron! Are you okay?" A girl with a British accent screamed out. Annabelle turned around and helped the boy up.  
  
"I am SO sorry! I seriously didn't mean it," Annabelle said titling his head back, to make sure it wasn't bleeding. She wondered if British wizards sued . . .and if they did, what would they sue her for? She was just an American witch with money useless to them. The girl was also knelt next to her, along with a boy with black hair and glasses.  
  
"It's alright mate, no hard feelings. It'll just be a little sore tomorrow. No worries," the boy with fire red hair and freckles said rubbing his nose. Annabelle glanced at his robe. Yes, he was a Hogwarts boy. Annabelle stood as the boy's two friends helped him up.  
  
"It was an accident. I feel so bad," Annabelle said running her hand down her face. The girl smiled at her.  
  
"You don't go to Hogwarts, do you?" the girl asked. Annabelle shook her head in shame. Not only was she a bully, but also she didn't even belong amongst them.  
  
"No actually. Magic Wand, the American school. . ." she nearly whispered. This wasn't how she pictured meeting Hogwarts friends. The boy with black hair smiled at her.  
  
"So you don't know who I am, or any of us for that matter?" he said with a big smile. Annabelle shook her head.  
  
"No. Not at all. Oh! Oh how rude! I'm Annabelle and this is Gary and Mary- Beth. We all go to Magic Wand . . .our sixth year actually." Gary and Mary- Beth smiled and turned their backs, knowing Annabelle would be doing all the talking.  
  
"I'm Hermione. This is Ron and Harry. We go to Hogwarts and we are also in our sixth year."  
  
"I love Hogwarts!" Annabelle said, wanting to reach out and touch them. The boy with the red hair (Ron, was it?) gaped at her.  
  
"How can you love Hogwarts? You go to Magic Wand!" he said. Annabelle shrugged.  
  
"My mom went there, and she left me Hogwarts, A History. I read it all the time, its like the wickedest school out there." Hermione stared at her, just as fascinated as Annabelle was about her.  
  
"Let's say we go to The Three Broom Sticks and share a butterbeer," the one with the black hair suggested. Annabelle looked at him, and then remembered his name was Harry. She nodded and grabbed Mary-Beth and Gary, without the slightest clue as to what a butterbeer was. Wanting to be accepted, she said yes without thinking. Butterbeer could be some sort of vile substance that they drank together on dares.  
  
"So, lets get to know each other more," Hermione said sipping into her butterbeer. Annabelle ran her finger around the rim of the glass.  
  
"Okay, well, my name is Annabelle Richards. My father went to Magic Wand and met my mother at the World's Trade Center in New York City. My mom went to Hogwarts and was on top of her classes and went to work at the World's Trade Center after leaving the wizarding world in her past along with my father's past. They were co-workers. My dad died in 1993 when some people bombed the bottom of the World Trade Center, or Twin Towers, trying to knock it down. My mom swore she wouldn't go back to work but she eventually did again. Then, two years ago, September 11th, she went to work and didn't come back," Annabelle said, fighting back the tears. Hermione lowered her head.  
  
"You mean, your mom was in the World Trade Center when it was hit by those planes?" Ron asked. Annabelle nodded and wiped her eyes.  
  
"Yeah. Turns out, they only intended to kill her, they were trying to get her and my dad because they were deemed un-wizard worthy and kicked out of the middle east before I was born. They were after them for years and they finally got them, I hope they're happy," she said. Harry almost didn't speak of his family and past, but he had to. He told her everything that happened, and she store at him.  
  
"You must be Harry Potter!" she gasped. Harry nodded and sighed.  
  
"So you do know who I am," he said glumly.  
  
"Well, barely. My teacher at Magic Wand speaks of you sometimes." Harry smiled a bit; at least she didn't know his life story. Ron spoke little about his family and Hermione boasted all about her grades, without even realizing it. Mary-Beth and Gary talked a bit about their families, not giving many details.  
  
"I have never met anyone from Magic Wand," Harry said, knowing very little about the American school. To him, it was just how Annabelle felt about meeting a Hogwarts student.  
  
"And I've never met a Hogwarts student! Tell me everything about your classes." Hermione and Ron looked at Mary-Beth and Gary.  
  
"Err- shall we go to the sweets shop?" Ron suggested. Mary-Beth smiled.  
  
"Yes! Let's leave these two on their own," Gary said cocking his head towards Harry and Annabelle. Hermione nodded and they left. Annabelle and Harry didn't even notice.  
  
*  
  
"And that's pretty much it. So what have you learned?" Harry said.  
  
"Steer clear from Professor Snape and the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher . . .most of them anyway." Harry smiled.  
  
"Very good. So tell me a little bit about Magic Wand. I know nothing of the school." Annabelle turned pink.  
  
"Okay, well we don't have houses quite like yours, we just have years. I'm in sixth year, so me and my class hang around the sixth year floor. Pretty much all of our classes are down below and we get the top of the castle. Our headmaster is an old witch, Q. Vastono . . . we know hardly anything about her. We do have feasts and junk, and four quidittch teams, but they aren't set up like yours. Hogwarts is monstrous compared to Magic Wand. And that's pretty much it. Nothing special. Hogwarts is paradise compared to Magic Wand."  
  
"It still sounds like an adventure," Harry said, wishing he could go somewhere else for a change. Annabelle looked around.  
  
"Where did our friends go?" she asked. Harry shook his head.  
  
"I don't know. They just disappeared." Annabelle looked at the door and her mouth dropped when she saw who walked in. A tall, blonde boy wearing a Hogwarts robe. He was in a goon sandwich, but Annabelle wasn't looking at them. The boy looked at her and nudged his taller friend. His friend looked at him and smiled and nodded. Harry's smile vanished. "What is it?" he asked, turning towards the door.  
  
"Who is that?" she asked dreamily. Harry gasped and sighed heavily.  
  
"Malfoy. The one thing I forgot to warn you about," Harry said drumming his fingers on the table. Annabelle smiled cheerfully when Draco gripped Harry's shoulder.  
  
"What do we got here? Potter, got yourself a girlfriend? Its about time you found a decent one," Draco said surprised. Annabelle shook her head and brushed her bangs out of the way.  
  
"Nah, me and Harry were just talking. He's more of a friend," Annabelle said coolly, giving Harry a reassuring smile.  
  
"You're American?" Draco asked. He had heard American girls were snobby and stuck up and that British girls named after flowers made the best girlfriends. He made a mental note not to listen to Pansy anymore . . .  
  
"Yeah. I go to Magic Wand, unfortunately. It sucks ass man," Annabelle said taking a sip of butterbeer. Draco was so shocked and delighted, he couldn't speak. Harry smirked.  
  
"Well, too bad too. You'd make a fine Slytherin girly; wish we could have made better acquaintances. I'm Draco, by the way," Draco said kissing Annabelle's hand lightly. Harry rolled his eyes as Annabelle giggled and Draco winked at her. Draco slapped Harry hard in the back. "See you in school Potter," Draco said firmly, and then left. Annabelle watched him leave.  
  
"Yeah, okay. Forgot to mention him in the whole Hogwarts thing. He would go on the list of 'bad'. Lucky you aren't going to Hogwarts, Draco seems to fancy you more then his own girlfriend," Harry said, not wanting their fine chat to go all about Draco. At the word 'girlfriend' Annabelle frowned.  
  
"Oh well. Where were we?" Annabelle said smiling again at Harry. 


End file.
